Between a career as a freelance writer and my voracious hobby as a reader, I read a lot. I love reading and learning new things. However, because I read so much, sometimes remembering what I read gets a little jumbled.

Because of this, I’ve learned to employ a few tricks for reading comprehension and remembering what you read. Today, I’m sharing my tricks with you!

Original Photo by Hvaldez1

5 Helpful Strategies for Remembering What You Read

Reading comprehension a struggle? No worries. These tips will have you remembering what you read like a pro in no time.

Study the Details

Details are where I have the most trouble.

Often, in a conversation I’ll say,

“Hey, I remember this really cool thing that I read in a book from Daniel Handler the other day!”

This is essential what you do in school to learn for a test. Imagine there will be a test on what you want to remember. What will you need to know? Usually, it is the “Ws” that we all learn in school: Who, what, where, when and how. If you really want to remember the specifics of something, write this information down.

The next solidification method is simply to tell it to someone else. I remember a lot more if I do both of these steps. If I just think I’ll remember the details of something, I usually don’t.

Association

Do you remember those silly name association games, like “Jim-slim” and Anna-banana?”

You can use that with remembering what you read as well. For example, if you’re trying to remember a data from a story, make up a silly rhyme. The most common example is “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Everyone remembers that because it’s a rhyme.

You can do this with characters in books, dates, and even facts.

Repetition

When you say something over and over, it sticks in your head. I find that I remember something best when I read it, write it, and then say it. Sometimes I have to do it multiple times before the information sticks.

Focus

I cannot focus on reading comprehension when I am distracted by other people talking, movies, or a lot of activity. I remember things best when I am focused and alone. If you really want to remember something, you either have to learn how to turn distractions off (I’m great at this – which is why my children sometimes have to yell to get my attention while I’m working) or go to a place where there are no distractions.

Highlight

Your fancy-schmansy highlighter isn’t just for college. You can use it as an adult to remember what you read as well. Highlight things that you want to remember, and your brain sort of says “oh, I guess this is important! Let me remember that for you!” Plus, if you highlight, then when you want to go back later for a refresher, the most important bits stand out.

For online writing, I usually bold it, or copy and paste the stuff I want to remember into a Word document or something similar.

Remembering What You Read Today

We always have new input today from everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if a person living in the 1400s would curl up in a ball and go insane if they had to deal with all the distractions and input sources that we have today.

But, if you take these tips to focus your mental energy on remembering what you read, then you won’t stumble as much when someone asks you for information. This is helpful for school, at work, and even in your social life. You’ll sound smarter and impress all the gents/ladies.

More Fun Writing/Reading Tips

Here at Daily Mayo, every now and then I like to talk about writing tips. Today’s post is all about common grammar mistakes everyone makes.

Everyone makes grammar mistakes. Even writers with decades of experience and even professional editors still make grammar mistakes. You can study grammar all your life and still not get the hang of everything simply because not only is English grammar crazy, but much of it is subjective. Still, there are common grammar mistakes everyone makes based on the standard grammar rules. I’ve struggled with some of these grammar mistakes myself, and I bet many of you have, too!

You probably won’t be surprised by this, but my husband and I have gotten into heated arguments over several of these grammar mistakes everyone makes. Why? Mainly because we’re both always right. 🙂

10 Common Grammar Mistakes Everyone Makes

Well/Good

This one should be easy, but it isn’t. I think of it like this:

Someone is good.

Something is well.

You are a good person, you did that well. This may not always work out, but it usually does, so I go with it.

Me/I

Commonly, I hear people use “I” when they ought to say “me.” For eaxmple, you would say “I went to the store,” so you would say, “George and I went to the store.” But you would never say “George threw a rock at I,” so you should also never say “George through rocks at Sharon and I.”

When you are the subject use “I.” When you are the object, use “me.”

Empty Words

Empty words are basically the bread of language. They fill up space, they are easy to use, but they are basically worthless. I am guilty of this and so are a lot of writers. In casual speech, empty words are allowed, but they drag down the quality of formal writing. Try to avoid these common empty words:

Stuff

There are

Good

Unique

Very

Totally

Completely

Bring/Take

My husband and I have almost come to blows on this one, but it turns out he was right (sigh).

Bring means to draw something closer to you, while take means to move it away from you. You would say, “George is taking me to the movies,” and George would say, “Make sure you bring money because I am not paying.”

Which/That

Which and that are easy to mix up. “That” is restrictive and “which” is relative. So, you would say, “I only eat foods that are made from chocolate,” or “Do you like fish? I recommend salmon which has many beneficial nutrients.”

Nauseous

This is actually a new one for me. Nauseous actually means that you make other people sick- kind of like noxious means a fowl odor. So, if you do feel sick, you feel nauseated. If you are nauseous, you should probably shower. Because that’s just gross.

Dangling Comparisons

This is a common grammar error when writers make a comparison, but to nothing. The writer might say, “Our hot dogs taste better!” And of course you are left questioning, “better than what?” This is often used in marketing- I’m assuming so you can fill in the comparison with whatever you want, but it is still wrong.

The Alot

Guess what? There is no such word as “alot.” It is actually two words. A and lot. I like you a lot or a little. Never alot.

Into/In To

This is another nearly violent argument I’ve had with my husband. Which spouse was right in this debate?

Into is a phrase that indicates movement “She stepped into the shallow stream.” In to can be used in more places and usually ties in with other parts of the sentence (such as infinitive verbs like “to eat”). So, basically, you can use into whenever the phrase indicates movement and does not tie in with other parts of the sentence.

Sadly, I think my husband was also right on this one, so perhaps the wrong spouse is an editor.

Superfluous Writing

I usually see this in bot writing, but students will also do it to inflate their word counts. These are the sentences that you will see that use words that are absolutely meaningless.

3 Simple Ways to Overcome Lack of Motivation

Pare the To-Do List

I always have way more on my to-do list than I can get through in a day. I always have two lists: my “must-do” list and my “hope-to-do” list.

Even on my “must-do” list there is some wiggle room. When I am feeling bad, I pare down my list to the very bare-bones list. If I have a lot of deadlines coming up and I know I can’t get through them because I am sick, I will ask for a deadline extension. I’ve never had any client ever say that I couldn’t get an extension for a few days.

Find a Way to Perk Up

Sometimes, you are too sick to move or leave the bathroom. In these cases, nothing is likely to perk you up. But for lesser illnesses, there are things you can do to perk up a bit and push through to get the essential work done. I use the following tricks to perk up when I want to overcome lack of motivation:

Go outside: I am a firm believer in sunshine as a health cure. It might be extra vitamin D boosting my immune system or it might be the placebo effect, but when I go outside in the sunshine for a few minutes, I usually start to feel better. This can often give me the necessary pep and motivation to get my essential jobs done.

Drink coffee or tea: When I am sick, I find hot coffee and tea soothing (tea more than coffee). Hot tea feels like it can ease headaches, body aches, sore throats, congestion, and other minor health issues. Coffee has an extra boost of caffeine that can supply energy that is waning from illness. Even on regular days I often depend on coffee to overcome lack of motivation.

Dress up: When I am sick and wearing pajamas all day, I feel like I should be lounging around all day binge watching HGTV. While this is good for my body (I think), it isn’t good for pushing through my to-do list. I find that when I dress up, put on some makeup and brush my hair, I feel a little better and find it easier to knock out that essential to-do list.

Remove Distractions

Distractions will keep me from working any day, but distractions seem particularly powerful if I am feeling bad. This week, I had my husband take the children out one evening so I could finish up my essential work before collapsing in bed.

Push Through

Sometimes, there are no tricks to it. If you have to get a job done, sometimes you just have to suck it up, act like an adult, and get the job done no matter how crappy you feel. It is easier to relax and focus on getting better when you don’t feel guilty about missing a deadline or having to skip a project.

Overcome Lack of Motivation and Get Stuff Done

Illnesses are inconvenient, but I find that these strategies help me wrap up any looming deadlines so I can focus on getting better without sacrificing income or feeling guilty. Sometimes being a freelance writer is tough, and during sickness is certainly one of those times!How do you overcome lack of motivation when you don’t feel well or just don’t feel like working?

Today, I am passing along my tips for how to stay focused while writing to you!

10 Easy Ways to Stay Focused While Writing

Stop Listening

This sounds impossible, but closing your mind to outside sounds is a skill you can develop.

I am so good at blocking out distractions and noise now that I often don’t hear my own name when someone is speaking to me. This is a skill I have developed over many years (first while trying to study in a house with 8 other people).

How do I stop listening? I place all my focus inside my head. When I write, the words first blossom inside my head, and then I transfer them to the computer. I don’t focus on anything else while I write. It’s just me, my fingers, and the page.

Go to a Quiet Place

When my children get too loud, even for my brain, I find it helps to go to a quiet place. Usually, I choose my bedroom; but sometimes, I have retreated to a closet or even the locked bathroom. If you can’t focus, going to a quiet place can really help.

If you have little kids around, working during naps is also much more productive.

Set Up a Work Spot

Everyone has habits that signal “now it is time to do this.” For someone who works outside of the home, the signal for work include putting on pants and driving to work in your designated area.

I find creating a routine and a designated work zone really makes a difference in productivity. When you go to your work zone, you subliminally tell your brain to start working. This, in turn, helps you stay focused while writing.

Change Location

On the other hand, sometimes a change of location can do wonders for your productivity (for me, its usually because there are no children around).

If you, like me, have a lot of other responsibilities in addition to writing, moving to a location where writing is the only option can really boost creativity and focus.

Drink Coffee

Occupy the Littles

If you have little kids underfoot like I do, they are the biggest distraction. My two-year-old visits me for a request about every two minutes while I am working. Keeping her occupied increases productivity by leaps and bounds. These are some activities that keep my kids interested:

Play dough

Art supplies

Movies

New toys (I allow them to select one toy to play with per day, which keeps toys feeling new)

Going outside

Playing in the sink

When the kids are distracted, I can be more focused on writing.

Use a Schedule

When I have a big to-do list (beginning of the month is killer for me), I tend to get overwhelmed and flit from task to task. This approach is fruitless. Studies show that block tasking is much more efficient (specifically, 90-minute sessions of work followed by 20 minutes of rest). I use a schedule with blocks of time dedicated to each task. Usually, mornings are spent in blog work, afternoons are for writing, and evenings are for anything I failed to finish earlier.

Take Breaks

The above study indicates that periods of intense work followed by short breaks of 20 minutes or so follow the body’s natural ultradian rhythm. Therefore, breaks are just as important as blocks of work. I probably wouldn’t take nearly as many breaks if I didn’t have interruptions from children, but I do find I can stay focused while writing and think clearer after I return to work after a short break.

Find Your Focus Music

Certain music inspires creativity. I either like to listen to classical, peaceful music, or songs that are light metal. One of my favorite artists to listen to while writing is Biffy Clyro. His music is quite intense, but for some reason, it helps me stay focused while writing.

Hide Your Phone

For some reason, I can’t ignore messages on my phone. I have to answer the dings and rings that chime every few minutes. Each time this happens, I lose focus and usually end up hopping to another task. The best way I have found to deal with this is to place my phone in a different room so I don’t hear it at all.

I'm Brenda. I'm a writer and a reader. Daily Mayo is all about having fun while reading, without rules! If you love books as much as I do, join the DM Book Lover's Club to keep up with the latest in the book world and get the DM Book Club Reading List.Come get to know me and let's talk books!